Are the Knicks really going to do it?

Right now, no one in their 20s, 40s, or even 50s in New York remembers the Knicks winning a championship.

The last victory was in 1973, a legendary time spoken of by grandfathers.

Even though the New York Knicks have secured two consecutive wins against San Antonio in this NBA Finals, the championship is not guaranteed, yet NYC is feeling a bit giddy.

However, the atmosphere is somewhat different from other sports victories.

New York is a city that is used to sports.

When the New York Yankees win, the reaction is, "Of course, it's the Yankees."

But the Knicks are different.

To be honest, Knicks fans have endured decades of near hopelessness.

In the early seasons, there were often high hopes, only to end without even making the playoffs.

Even when good players came, it ended in failure, and changing coaches didn't help.

So the feeling among New Yorkers right now is closer to "We might actually win" rather than "Is this really happening?".

A few days ago, I was at Starbucks, and two guys in front of me talked about the Knicks for over 10 minutes.

"Brunson did it again."

"We still don't know. New York has always let us down in the end."

And both of them laughed.

Watching that scene, I realized something.

Right now, New Yorkers are starting to talk to each other because of basketball.

New York is usually an indifferent city.

It's rare to make eye contact with someone on the subway.

Even after living in the same building for 10 years, it's common not to know your neighbor's name.

But during this playoff period, the atmosphere has changed.

In the office elevator, at the deli, and in the barbershop, people are talking about the Knicks.

At some point, the entire city is sharing a single topic.

Especially, Knicks fans are not just from specific neighborhoods.

Workers in Manhattan's financial district cheer for the Knicks, and immigrant families in Queens support them too.

Firefighters in The Bronx and young artists in Brooklyn wear the same uniform.

While Koreans think of New York as one city, it's actually a huge community made up of different small cities.

There are different races, incomes, and ways of living.

But for now, everyone is talking about the same team.

That's the power the Knicks bring.

After the recent victory was confirmed, thousands gathered around Madison Square Garden.

No one told them to come.

People just came out into the streets.

It felt like an old neighborhood festival was happening again.

A championship waited for 53 years.

Fathers waited, sons waited, and now grandsons are waiting.

So this Knicks run is not just a sports story.

It's a story of a massive city, New York, laughing together, feeling tense together, and dreaming together once again.